The Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos have some recent cross-pollination, and it’s not just Russell Wilson. Though he’s not starting, the Broncos do have CB Levi Wallace, who spent the last two years in Pittsburgh. Wilson has been giving Justin Fields “some insight” into the Broncos due to his familiarity with their defense. And Broncos head coach Sean Payton acknowledged Wallace has some insight into the Steelers’ defense.
“That’s a fair question because they’re running the same defense”, Payton said, via the Broncos’ YouTube channel about Levi Wallace. “You might ask him about fire-zone rules or certain coverage rules and indicators. That would be much more relevant than having coached a player that’s with another team. It kind of comes up week to week. In other words, it’s not uncommon to have players that were on our roster that are going to be on an opponent’s roster. So you get some but not a lot”.
“Not a lot” is still more than nothing, even if the Steelers’ defense isn’t the most indecipherable in the NFL. More than most units, the Steelers rely on star power. They have their complexities, naturally, but the majority are also time-tested and thus also well-documented.
Levi Wallace started 18 of 31 games for the Steelers over the past two seasons. He recorded 65 tackles with six interceptions and 24 passes defensed, numbers that look good on paper. There is a reason the Steelers let him walk in free agency, though. There is also a reason nobody signed him until shortly before the draft, more than a month out from free agency.
The Broncos played Wallace for all of two snaps in their season opener, the seventh-year veteran coming up empty on the stat sheet. They have Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, and Ja’Quan McMillian as their cornerbacks, Wallace serving as depth. That’s how he ended up before long with the Steelers as well, though he seemed to play better off the bench.
While the Steelers’ defensive structure remains intact, they have juggled personnel. The starting lineup includes four to five new players, depending on whom you want to include. There are certainly Patrick Queen, Donte Jackson, and DeShon Elliott, but Beanie Bishop Jr. and Payton Wilson are also playing significant roles.
Just because the faces change doesn’t mean the defense does, or at least change much. The Steelers are still the Steelers, and Levi Wallace operated in that Steelers defense for two years. I’m sure he can give the Broncos some insight they might not otherwise have.
And I’m sure Russell Wilson can tell the Steelers a thing or two about how Sean Payton’s Broncos offense operates. Chances are neither will have intel that will change the game though. Even if you know what to expect, you still have to execute when the time comes.
